Pipe wrench



oct. e, 1925. 1,556,169

N. K. SMITH PIPE WRENCH Filed Feb. 12, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 1 fitto: vwq

Oct. 6, 1925- 1,556,169

N. K. SMITH PIPE WREINGH` Filed Feb. 12, 1924 Z'Sheets-Sheet 2 /Z f/ 1| I L' .l In 1| ,fg Il I H Hf d 11| nl |}|i l ll |ll l i? nue'n foi Patented Oct. 6, 1925.

.uiNi'TffE-D lS'iATgES NEIfsoNx. SMITH, .0F gDALLAs', TEXAS, Y

PIPE WRENCH.

Applicationled February 12, 1924.. SerialNo. 692,204.

To all whom tmag/ concern:

Be it known that I, NELSON K. SMITH, fa citizen of the United States of America, residing ait Dallas, inthe county of Dallas and lState ofvTeXas, vhave invented certain new and useful Improvements yin `Pipe l/Vrenches, .of vwhich 'the followingis a specification.

'This invention relates to new land useful improvements inpipe wrenches.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a pipe wrench for use in connection with the rotarysysteni of drillingwells, and particularly for connecting and disconnecting thesections of pipe andxtool joints in a simple, expeditious, and safe manner.

A particular .object of the invention is to l,provide an improved pipewrench which may he automatically Vlocked around a pipe and which when V.grippingthe pipe and under a severe strain will .not'spread or break.

A "further Objectis to provide asafety latch which :automatically'locks the wrench on the pipe and holds ksaidwrench in posiytion untilv thelatch is released.

Y Another object is to provide in combinaltionhwith a. yoke., a swinging' gripping arm having a'pipe-engaging .finger which. serves yto close the arm when the pipe is received in thejyoke and also functions to displace the Ipipe from the yoke when the armY is swung into an open position.

Astill further object of the invention is to provide a tension element within the yoke which has vthe duel function of latching or holding the handle in an open position land of forcing the pipe against Et ie gripping faces ofthe wrench.

Another object of tliefinvention is toprovide a gripping farnrand a swinging handle cooperating with a yoke in such-a manner asptogrip thezpipe in apositive manner.

Constructions designed to carry vout the `invei'ition, together( with-other novel featn'res, will be hereinafter'descrihed, l.

The invention will he more readily understood from a read-ing ofthe `following specifieation,vandhy reference: tothe accoinpanyf n l .hand'lalever .18W inf its open position so that ing drawings in which examples-of the invent-ion are shown and-wherein Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the wrench engaged'on `apipe;` and l Fig. 4" san enlarged cross-sectional view y'on fthefline of Fig. '1.

- 'In `the drawings, the'nuineral 10 Adesignates an 'arcuate yoke vhaving a concave gripping face or seatll. rFhe yyokeisprovided-atoneend withja'pair of superposed wardly-'extendingiingerl'l adapted to swing from hetweensaid ears'into 'the opening of the yoke, whensaid arm is'swung to its open "positioin'whereby said finger ,is :positioned inthe path of the pipe A. "When the pipe is received in the yoke, Vit engages the finger 16 and swings thearm to a closed position.

The yarm visprovided with ya hand-grip 17 'whereby it maybe yswung outwardly to an openjpositiomas is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. `Wlien the arm is opened, the

lfinger 16sw`i1rgs in behindthepipe'and displaces the same'from thek yoke.

A handlellever "18 .is pivoted on abolt 19. The handle has at its inner end ,a notch or seat 20 for receivinga boss '21 projecting outwardly fromthe free end of the 'arm 14.

The arm ltisprovided with a notchor recess 22 contiguous to the boss for receiving a lug 23 onithe end of .the handle. It will be noted that'the lug23 engages over the `boss'2 1,"'to such .an lextent as to co-act with the'bolt 19, in.ho1ding jtheendso'f the yoke againstfspreading.

The arm 14 is comparatively short and swingsthrougha short radius ,this with the prigid reinforcedlyoke makes for a strong structure whichisnot likelyto Vbreak under gripping dies 2.5, while :thearmis provided with a similar die however the location and number of the :dies is suhject to varia- `tion,='and`they. are quite common in this art.

It is levi'dent thatwhen 'the arm ltis in its openpositiom'it'isl desirable to hold the it will'not'inter'fere with the` placing ofthe 'yoke Aontlie pipe, 'andffor'this purpose, I

vwhen the latter is swung to'its'open position. vThedog is impelled into such engage- CII ment by a coiled spring 32 which tends to force the nose 33 of the dog through the seat 11 of the yoke. When the dog is in engagement with the handle, the no-se 33 is in the path of the pipe. The dog tends to force the pipe into the seat 11 and acts to take up play, whereby the wrench more quickly grips the pipe. When the handle is ready to be swung, the pipe will have previously depressed the dog, whereby the lug 30 is removed from the notch 31, and said handle may be freelyswung.

A short rigid handle 34 extends outwardly from the intersection of the arm 14 and thevfinger 16 at the bolt 15. This handle is useful in swinging the arm when necessary, and in manipulating the wrench. The wrench is designed for use either on the upper or lower members of a. tool joint, or on a pipe, and may also be supported in a rotary table carriage such as is shown in Letters Patent Nos. 1,481,157, and 1,481,158, issued to me. on Jan. 15, 1924.

One of the important features of this invention resides in means for latching the arm 14 in its closed position, so that said arm can not become accidentally disengaged or otherwise interfere with aA safe manipulation of the wrench. For this purpose, the handle 34 is provided with a` longitudinal slot 35 having its inner end extending between the ears 12, as is best shown in Fig. 2. A latch lever 36 is pivoted in said slot and is provided with an inwardly extending shank 37 having a lug 38 on its inner end. The latch lever is overloalanced so that the shank tendsto fall through the slot, whereby the lug 38 cornes to rest on the lower ear 12. v The ears each have a shoulder 12. Then the shank 37 drops through the slot, the lower shoulder 12 will be in its path and permits only a limited swinging movement of the arm 14. When the wrench is reversed, the latch lever is inverted so that the other lug 12 is used. The latch has a boss 39 on the opposite side of its pivot from-the shank 37 and this boss extends upwardly when the shank drops. By pressing down on the boss, the shank may be raised and confined within the slot 35 whereby the arm 14 may be swung to its onen position. the shank passing between the ears 12 and the lugs 121.

In using the wrench it is usually supported upon a carriage, as is shown in my Letters Patent No. 1,481,158, or it is sui-tably suspended b v a hanger, whereby it may be Vswung toward and away from the work. rlhe arm 14 is swung to the open position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, whereby the finger 16 is swung into the path of the work.

The handle lever 18 is also swung to its openv position as is shown in dotted lines Vin Fig., 1.l W'hen the lever is thus swung the lug 30` of the dog 27 s engaged in the notch 31, whereby the handle lever is held in its open position and the nose 33 is projected through the seat 11 of the yoke 10.

YVith the parts in the open position the yoke 10 is swung toward the work A, which may be a rot-ary drilling pipe, tool joint, pipe coupling, or any other tubular member, in a vertical position. As the yoke straddles the work the finger 16 is engaged by the work and this swings the arm 14 to a closed position. However the workman may grasp the handle 34 and swing'the arm 14, and it is practical to eliminate the finger 16 and its function. When the seat 11 and the work engage, the latter will depress the nose 33 and swing the dog 27, whereby the lug 30 will be withdrawn from the notch 31 and the lever 18 thus released. The dog also functions to force the pipe into the seat and to take up play, whereby the wrench acts more quickly.

The handle lever 18 having been released may now be swung so as to receive the boss 21 in the seat 20 and to cause the lug 23 to enter the recess 22. The closed position of the arm 14 is shownr in full lines in Fig. 1 and in suoli position the latch 36 will have its lug 38 resting on the lower ear 12 (Fig. 2) behind the shoulder 12. While the arm will thus be fastened against swinging open, it will be free to swing inwardly against the work. By pulling the handle lever forwardly the boss 21 fulcrums in the seat and the lug 23 rides further into the recess. This action swings the arm so that the yoke and arm are drawn snugly around the work and the dies 25 and 26 are caused to grip the work. with a minimum slippage. The seat and lug 23 swinging in an arc having a shorter radius than the arc in which the boss 21 is swung. tend to exert a circumferential force on the arm and this acts to offset a crushing effect as well as counteracting any tendency of the ends of the yoke tospread.

Various changes in the size and arrangement of thev parts as well as modifications and alterations may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim, is

1. In a pipe wrench, a yoke having ears at its ends yand provided with a gripping face, a handle lever pivoted to the ears at one end of the yoke, a gripping arm pivoted to the ears at the other end of the yoke, a shoulder on the ear at the end of the yoke towhich the arm is pivoted, alatch vpivoted to the arm and having its end located toengage the shoulder, and means on the handle lever for engaging and swingingthc arm after the latter is closed and latched.

2. In a pipe wrench, a yoke having an arcuate gripping face, aV gripping arm pivoted on one end of the yoke, a handle pivotedi.

on the other end of the yoke and having means for engaging the arm for gripping a pipe, and a spring-pressed element mounted in the yoke for holding the handle in an open position and engaging the pipe received in the yoke.

3. In a pipe wrench, a rigid yoke having an arcuate gripping face, a gripping arm having an arcuate gripping face pivoted to one end of the yoke and having a boss on its free end, a handle pivoted on the outer end of the yoke and having a lug engaging over the boss of the arm for drawing the faces of the yoke and arm into gripping relation with a pipe, and a latch carried by A the arm and co-acting'with the yoke to hold the arm in its closed position.

4. In a pipe wrench, a yoke having an arcuate gripping face, a gripping arm pivoted to one end of the yoke and carrying a gripping die opposite the gripping face of the yoke and also having a boss, a latch carried by the arm and engaging the end of the yoke to which the arm is pivoted, and a handle pivoted to the other end of the yoke and having a lug engaging over the boss of the arm for moving the gripping die thereof into engagement with the pipe when the handle is swung.

5. A latching mechanism for a pipe wrench, comprising in combination with a yoke, a swinging gripping arm, and a gravity latch pivoted in the arm for engaging with one end of the yoke for limiting the swing of the arm.

6. In a pipe wrench, a rigid yoke having an arcuate gripping face, a handle lever pivoted to one end of the yoke having a projection with a comparatively short radius, and a swinging arm having an arcuate gripping face and pivoted to the other end of the yoke, the free end of the arm being directly engaged by the lever, whereby the face of the arm is caused to grip the pipe when the handle lever is swung, and means for fastening the lever in its open position released by the pipe received in the yoke.

7. In a pipe wrench, a yoke having an arcuate gripping face, an arm pivoted on one end of the yoke, a handle carried by said arm, a latch carried by the arm handle and engaging the end of the yoke to which the arm is pivoted, a boss carried by the arm, a spring dog mounted in the yoke, and a handle lever having a lug engaging the boss for gripping a pipe.

8. In a pipe wrench, a rigid yoke having an arcuate gripping face, an armrpivoted to one end of the yoke and having an arcuate gripping face, a hand-hold on the arm, a boss on the free end of the arm, a handle pivoted on the other end of the yoke and having a lug for engaging the boss and moving the arm into gripping engagement with a pipe, and a latch co-acting with the end of the yoke on which the arm is Vpivoted for holding the arm in its closed position.

9. In a. pipe wrench, a rigid yoke having an arcuate gripping face, an arm pivoted to one end of the yoke and having an arcuate gripping face, a handle extending from the pivot end of the arm, a boss on the free end of the arm, a handle lever pivoted to the other end of the yoke and having a lug for engaging the boss and moving the arm into gripping engagement with a pipe, and a latch mounted at the handle of the arm for engaging the yoke to lock the arm in its closed position.

l0. In a pipe wrench, a rigid yoke having an arcuate gripping face, an arm pivoted to one end of the yoke and having an arcuate gripping face, a handle extending from the pivot end of the arm, a boss on the free end of the arm, a handle lever pivoted to the other end of the yoke and having a lug for engaging the boss and moving the arm into gripping engagement with a pipe, a latch mounted at the handle of the arm for engaging the yoke to lock the arm in its closed position, and a spring-tension dog mounted in the yoke for engaging and holding the handle lever in an open position, said dog being in the path of the pipe engaged by the yoke.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

NELSON K. SMITH. 

